One point. One position. One opportunity. That is what the final race in the Eliminator Round came down to.
Last week, it was all about one maneuver that took away many points and positions, making the final race in this round even more important than ever imagined. Sunday afternoon, it became a two-part story, with the headlines being all about who made it in, and who was knocked out.
Without question, the most dominant car in the race, and realistically for the last three events at Phoenix, has been the one of Kevin Harvick.
Sunday, Harvick led over 85 percent of the laps, taking the lead for the first time on lap 44, and holding that lead till lap 84. He led again from lap 88 until lap 124, during a cycle of pit stops. He took the lead again on lap 126, and was there up until the checkered flag. The race was only 312 laps, and he was out front for all but 48 of those laps. He was on the outside of the original top four to make the final round, but the rules indicate that a win means a pass to the next round.
That win also eliminated one spot in that final four, which made the battle for the final spot even more important.
Second-place runner Jeff Gordon was ahead of Ryan Newman by just a single point, at some moments he was tied with him but held the tie-breaker. However, late in the running, it was Newman that gained the advantage by holding two key positions on the track. Yet a few laps later, he would lose those spots, putting him as the driver in the first spot outside the front four.
On the final lap, everything seemed as though Gordon would have the position needed, and he would cross the line in second.
Behind him, Newman got a run on the one position he needed to make it into the title round, and went for it. He leaned hard on Kyle Larson, rubbing fenders, causing the No. 42 of Larson to slide up the banking and into the wall. Newman would take advantage and finish 11th.
At the time, had Newman finished 12th, he would be on the outside of the championship round because Gordon and he would tie in points, but because of Gordon finishing higher in the race, he would get the spot in the title race. However, that one pass to put Newman in 11th put him one point ahead of Gordon, who he was already ahead of entering the race. That one pass on the final corner of the final lap put Newman as the final driver to make the Championship Round, and leave Gordon as the one who would be on the outside looking in at the season finale.
So now, the points have been reset. Harvick, Newman and the other two championship drivers, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, are all set to 5000 points. The final race of the season is next Sunday, with very simple rules.
It doesn’t matter if one of those drivers leads just one lap, nor does it matter if that driver leads the most laps. It is an all-in, best man to the finish championship battle.
When the checkered flag waves, the driver that finishes the highest in the race is the one that will park on the front straightaway and hoist the checkered flag trophy at the end of the night.
The Championship Round of the 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup is at the Homestead-Miami Speedway next Sunday. Coverage begins at 1 p.m, with an extended pre-race on ESPN. The green flag will wave shortly after 3 p.m. Get ready for a true winner-take-all finale to the season.
RESULTS: 1-Harvick 2-Gordon 3-Kenseth 4-Keselowski 5-Hamlin 6-Logano 7-Kurt Busch 8-Earnhardt Jr. 9-Biffle 10-Ambrose
NOTABLE FINISHES: 11-Newman 15-Edwards 20-Stewart 34-Kyle Busch 39-Johnson
CAUTIONS: 12 for 58 laps. Lap 32-35 (Debris-BS), 82-87 (#13 Accident-BS), 97-100 (Debris-FS), 124-127 (Debris-T1), 185-191 (#3 Slow on track), 202-205 (Debris-T1), 207-211 (#33, 98 Accident-T4), 213-220 (#15, 18, 26 Accident-T2; Red Flag-Lap 216, 3 Mins, 52 Secs); 238-243 (#48 Accident-T1), 246-248 (#1 Accident-T2), 289-292 (Debris-FS), 298-300 (#40, 66 Accident-T4).
LEAD CHANGES: 8 among 6 drivers. Hamlin 1-24, Logano 25-32, Ragan 33-34, Logano 35-43, Harvick 44-84, Earnhardt Jr. 84-87, Harvick 88-124, Annett 125, Harvick 126-312.
TIME OF RACE: 3 Hrs, 7 Mins, 13 Secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: 99.991 MPH
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.636 Seconds
CHASE FOR THE SPRINT CUP: Championship drivers (All have 5000 points)-Harvick, Logano, Hamlin, Newman; 5. Keselowski, -2680; 6. Gordon, -2688; 7. Kenseth, -2704; 8. Kyle Busch, -2720; 9. Edwards, -2722; 10. Earnhardt Jr, -2729; 11. Allmendinger, -2744; 12. Biffle, -2756; 13. Johnson, -2761; 14. Kurt Busch, -2771; 15. Kahne, -2798; 16. Almirola, -2830.
